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Image source, Drew Angerer/Getty
Image caption,Congressman Richard Neal is leading a congressional delegation to the UK and Ireland
US congressman Richard Neal has urged the UK to have "good faith" talks with the EU to find "durable solutions" for post-Brexit trade involving Northern Ireland.
Liz Truss met a congressional delegation led by Mr Neal on Saturday, ahead of its trip to Ireland.
The foreign secretary said the UK had a "cast-iron commitment" to the Good Friday Agreement.
The talks came amid heightened tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Posting on Twitter on Sunday, Mr Neal thanked Ms Truss for a "frank discussion regarding our duty to protect peace and stability on the island of Ireland".
He "urged good faith negotiations with the EU to find durable solutions for post-Brexit trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
Also on Twitter, Ms Truss said the group discussed free trade and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The delegation also met International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Image source, Pool/Getty Images
Image caption,The foreign secretary met with the delegation led by Mr Neal on Saturday
They are due in Ireland later.
Their visit comes after the foreign secretary announced on Tuesday that new legislation would be introduced to change the protocol.
Earlier this week, US house speaker Nancy Pelosi urged both the UK and EU to continue talks to preserve "progress and stability" brought about by the Good Friday (Belfast) Agreement.
"The Good Friday Accords are the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and a beacon of hope for the entire world," she said.
"It is deeply concerning that the United Kingdom now seeks to unilaterally discard the Northern Ireland Protocol, which preserves the important progress and stability forged by the Accords."
'Fundamental importance'
Ms Pelosi's comments were condemned by former Brexit minister Lord Frost who said the statement was "ignorant" of the realities in Northern Ireland.
Democratic Unionist Party Northern Ireland Assembly member Gordon Lyons said his party looked forward to meeting the bipartisan congressional delegation, but that representatives "must recognise" that the protocol had undermined the Good Friday Agreement, which he claimed representatives had "continually" misunderstood.
"It is high time the American administration recognised the fundamental importance of securing the support of both unionists and nationalists," he said.
"Without such support, devolution cannot function."
English (US)